DRAFT SPEECH BY THE CONSUL GENERAL OF ITALY,
MS ALESSANDRA SCHIAVO,
FOR THE ITALIAN NATIONAL DAY (2 JUNE 2010)
Honourable Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR, Mr. Weng Yan
Lung, dear Colleagues from the European Union and from other
countries, distinguished guests, cari connazionali,
1.
I am glad to see that you are so many this evening: I consider it a
sign of the deep friendship existing between Italy and Hong Kong and a
proof of the important opportunities that the Special Administrative
Region - together with the ever-growing development of the Mainland
China - offers to Italian enterprises, and to Italy as a whole.
2.
Being a knowledge-based economy and a financial capital of
extra-ordinary importance, with a liberal and sophisticated market
infrastructure, advanced services and – above all – a smart and efficient
human capital, Hong Kong is the ideal platform for overseas companies
looking to expand, not only on the rest of China, but on all East Asian
countries.
During all its history, Hong Kong has endured many different
shocks and crises, finding itself each time much stronger. Its secret has
always laid in its ability to develop more sophisticated services and
products that complement the evolution of the world.
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We are living a time of fragility of world economy and of
profound instability of financial markets, which have provoked social
unrest and spurred fear for the future in many people, at the least in the
Western countries.
Hong Kong capacity of adopting itself to evolving situations is an
illuminating example for all those who are determined to face the
challenges of globalization, resorting to innovation and creativity and
promoting research and development.
3.
Even in this period of contraction of world exchanges, the volume
of business between Italy and Hong Kong has remained outstanding
(almost 2 billions US dollars in the first three months of this year), with
Hong Kong continuing to be our third partner in Asia after the Mainland
China and Japan.
4.
But I believe that many progresses still remain to be achieved.
Because there is no doubt that a considerable part of the economic
future of Italy, of Europe and of the whole world, will be decided here :
in this part of the globe which is the major pole for growth and
investments in the XXIst century.
Italy is a country of arts and of fashion, of cars with a style which is
almost impossible to match and of refined food - some of which you
have the chance to enjoy here today.
But Italy is not only this.
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Italy is also one of the most industrialized States of the world,
capable of distinguishing itself in the fields of bank and insurances’
services, infrastructure and telecommunications, as well as in the most
advanced sectors of research, including information, green and biotechnologies, where we share – I think – common interests with Hong
Kong.
This is why I would like to see – together with more Italian
architecture in Hong Kong – more Italian infrastructural investments in
the delta of the Pearl River, and more cooperation in the field of
safeguard of environment and of conservation of the beautiful landscape
and natural patrimony of Hong Kong.
6.
The endeavours of the Consulate General will also be focused on
the promotion of exchanges in what I consider the crucial assets of both
Italy and Hong Kong : culture, education and people.
Last year 143 Hong Kong students went to Italy : it is quite a good
number, but I hope that it will grow in the future and, above all, that
Italian and Hong Kong Universities will strengthen their existing ties on
a wider and durable basis.
I am happy to announce that at the end of next month eight postgraduate students of the Hong Kong University and eight students from
the International University of Architecture in Venice will attend a
summer student workshop respectively in Venice and Hong Kong.
This will happen thanks to the generosity of the Marco Polo
Society, to which I wish to express, once again and publicly, my
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thankfulness for its constant and precious commitment in the
development of relations between Hong Kong and Italy and for its
support to projects beneficial to our two communities.
7.
Italy belongs to an ancient civilization. This is why I will try to
bring to Hong Kong, in the first months of the year 2011, a statue – the
Boxer of Lisippo – which influenced artists and sculptors of the entire
Mediterranean for the last 2.300 years.
Sooner than that, I have the pleasure to invite all of you to visit the
Exhibition “Li Madou: Europe at the Ming Court”, which will open in
Macau on next August 7 and which will host – among others –
masterpieces by Tiziano and Raffaello.
In the next days you may enjoy the cello’s concert by Giovanni
Sollima, a Paganini’s Strings concert and the Italian film festival here in
Hong Kong, and a jazz festival in Macau : all initiatives – to which
others will be added in the following months – which have been
possible thanks to the efforts of the Italian Chamber of Commerce.
This is the reason why I will have the pleasure to honour in a
while the President and Vice President of the Italian Chamber of
Commerce - and the President of Dante Alighieri, for its contribution to
the promotion of the Italian language - with a special recognition by the
Italian President of the Republic, H.E. Giorgio Napolitano.
8.
All the achievements that Italy has scored in Hong Kong so far are
the result of the synergy and commitment of all actors, public and
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private : that is to say, besides the two Institutions that I just mentioned,
the Italian Trade Commission (whose Director, Mr Baruzzi, let me
salute, since he is unfortunately going to leave us in a few weeks) : the
Italian Women’s Association and the Scuola Manzoni ; and the many
Italian entrepreneurs and citizens who chose Hong Kong as their
second, and sometimes definitive, home.
I want to thank them all.
9.
But this is not enough.
For the bilateral relations to receive a real boost, it is necessary to
intensify the exchange of visits between political leaders. In the last year
things have improved considerably : with the visits of the Italian Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs in September 2009 and of the then Italian
Minister of Agriculture last January. At the end of August, the Secretary
for Commerce Rita Lau will pay a visit to Venice to inaugurate the
Hong Kong Pavilion at the Biennale of Architecture and to sign a
Memorandum of Understanding with the Region of Veneto to launch
cooperation on a wide range of fields.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board and the HK Trade Development
Council will also organize a “Hong Kong Day” in Venice, which I am
sure will be great.
New bilateral agreements are on their way : the one on “Mutual
legal assistance on criminal matters” and – most importantly, since it is
a very positive news of the most recent days - the agreement to prevent
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“Double taxation”, which will encourage Italian companies to invest
here and for which negotiations should resume in October.
10. I promise you that I will do my best to foster even further the
already excellent and warm relations between Italy and Hong Kong and
to promote as much as possible the level and number of Italian
institutional visits to Hong Kong.
11. Thank you for your attention.
12. Please, join me in a toast to the people of the People’s Republic of
China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.